The internet in 2025 has been, in a word, chaotic. (Just look at how it started.)
From Pope Crave live-tweeting the papal conclave to Labubu's rise as the It-girl of modern capitalism, the timeline has once again proven that literally anything can become a cultural event if it happens in front of a camera. This was the year we mourned a deep-sea anglerfish that swam to the surface and died like a tragic little oracle, and the year 100 average men waged a theoretical war against one gorilla — on every platform, in every group chat, repeatedly.
These moments dominated the discourse, and notably, revealed what the discourse has become: chaotic, hyper-specific, and strangely poetic. They captured our attention, for better or worse, and left their dent in the digital record. This is what the internet felt like in 2025.
Labubu, blind boxes, and @vanillamace's 'fuck-ass Christmas tree'
Labubu was the toy of the year, the accessory of the season, and the emotional support cryptid no one saw coming, except, maybe, BLACKPINK's Lisa.
Originally a niche vinyl collectible, the mischievous gremlin-like figure went full mainstream in 2025, thanks to the rise of blind-box culture and celebrities like Rihanna, Lisa, Dua Lipa, and Central Cee, who've all embraced Labubu as the girl du jour. In a year defined by algorithmic chaos and constant doomscrolling, people clung to something small, tangible, and creepy-cute, a collectible status symbol that could dangle from your bag and bring a little joy into your day.
Influencers like @vanillamace helped fuel the blind-box boom, with an iconic video capturing the despair of pulling the one SKULLPANDA keychain she didn’t want: the now-infamous "fuck-ass Christmas tree." The clip — which has been viewed nearly 15 million times — became shorthand for the emotional rollercoaster of blind-box capitalism: you pay $30 for a surprise, and sometimes that surprise is a cute, planet-hopping symbiont wearing a Christmas tree. — Crystal Bell, culture editor
Mark Zuckerberg's 'masculine energy'
Calling this moment one of the best internet moments of 2025 feels like perhaps we're stretching the definition of "best." But it certainly was a moment. In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast and stated that the corporate world needs more "masculine energy," much like that of the discipline of martial arts. "A lot of our society has become very...neutered or emasculated," Zuckerberg said before noting that he does, indeed, have sisters and daughters. No sexism here. — Christianna Silva, senior culture reporter
The White Lotus finale and Duke memes
Few things approach monoculture in 2025, so when we get something close, the internet rushes to grasp it with both hands. That was the story of the Season 3 finale of HBO’s The White Lotus. It seemed like everyone online was watching and speculating about who would live, who would die, and what the hell all those Easter eggs meant. And, in a kismet coincidence, Duke men’s basketball happened to crash out of March Madness just as character Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) was spiraling out of control in a Duke t-shirt. The memes, naturally, were both too easy and endless. — Tim Marcin, associate culture editor
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Viral anglerfish
In February, an anglerfish floated up from the deep sea to the surface of the water off the coast of Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. Scientists were shocked to see the six-inch-long (yes, they are that small) fish so far away from its usual home, and, while there are scientific reasons that an anglerfish might act this way, the internet created its own, human-like stories.
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The stories — that the fish wanted to see light it didn't create, or it was searching for the sun — weren't exactly born of truth, but they were very sweet. People made art, got tattoos, wrote poetry, and the anglerfish became the unlikely animal of the month. — C.S.
100 men vs. 1 gorilla
It was a simple tweet from u>@DreamChasnMike</u that launched countless arguments: "i think 100 [men] could beat 1 gorilla everybody just gotta be dedicated to the shit." The reactions, responses, and memes took off immediately.
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The internet loves arguing over hypotheticals — make-believe fights, especially — because, well, there is no way to know the actual answer. But in this instance, hilariously, some real experts weighed in and, in short, decided 100 (very, very dedicated) men would win. The internet did what the internet does, however, and kept the joke going. We even got offshoot debates like 100 Americans vs. 100 Brits. The internet loves a debate and a fight, and especially when the two things collide. — T.M.
Katy Perry's 11-minute space flight
In April, Katy Perry boarded a Blue Origin flight with five other women for a brief suborbital joyride that lasted just 11 minutes, becoming the first pop star to go to space. And the internet had a field day. Everyday people, brands, and celebrities, like Olivia Munn, questioned the sustainability of such a seemingly frivolous trip, calling Perry's space cosplay "gluttonous." Perry, to her credit, brushed off the criticism.
But for one glorious weekend, everyone online agreed: If you're going to call it a space mission, maybe don't come back before your Uber Eats order arrives. — C.B.
Recession indicators
We are not in a recession right now, but things haven't always felt economically celebratory this year. In response to not being able to afford eggs, people on the internet started sharing their own, personal recession indicators. It's a lot like the lipstick index — the much-disputed idea that consumers are more likely to splurge on inexpensive luxury items like lipstick than big-ticket items during an economic crisis — but more modern. I'm talking about a new Scary Movie, blondes going brunette, bumpits, and dinner parties. — C.S.
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JD Vance’s big baby head
Listen, sometimes it’s fun to be silly, even a bit childish, online. That’s especially true when it comes at the expense of someone powerful. Enter JD Vance’s big ol’ baby head.
For one reason or another, folks across political lines found it hilarious to post edits of the vice president with increasingly rosy, chunky cheeks.
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I wouldn’t quite call it the country coming together, but for a brief moment, we all giggled at JD Vance’s baby head. And that’s nice. — T.M.
Pop Crave’s papal conclave
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The Vatican hadn’t even locked the doors to the Sistine Chapel before the internet turned the papal conclave into a full-blown event. Fueled by Conclave stan account Pope Crave’s breathless updates, Twitter (sorry, X) became a Roman Catholic fan page overnight.
People were assigning cardinal biases, speculating on papal fits, and meme-ifying the "Pope Bracket" like it was March Madness. By the time Robert Prevost was elected, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, the discourse had collapsed into pure meme entropy, with Brat edits and liturgical analysis trending simultaneously. White smoke billowed, timelines refreshed, and within minutes, it was confirmed: the pope is a Chicago White Sox fan. Canonically, one of the most online pontificates in history. — C.B.
